Hillview Farmstay

30 May 2023 by Ruth

Hi Jo and Matt,I apologies I didn't see your email earlier. I just arrived overseas where my father was in critical condition after a brain surgery due to a massive stroke.I am sorry you didn't find your stay at our property up to your expectations. Thank you for the feedback and we will make sure to address any concerns raised here. Receiving a 2-star is concerning so I have taken the time to discuss our process and procedures with staff. If you would allow me to share our side of the story, that would be much appreciated:1. Regarding # of guests that arrived, The booking we received from Wotif (owned by Expedia) says there are only 2 people arriving. Please find attached screenshot of the booking. We also send out an auto-email (sent to you on May 15) after reservation is made asking guests to confirm total # of guests and I did not receive any email confirmation from you. As such, our information only states 2 guests which is why our staff only set-up for 2 guests. However, as you can appreciate, once this was clarified when you arrived, our staff did not hesitate to provide you additional linen/bed + breakfast for the extra guest. 2. Regarding dome window that was murky, our staff explained to you that we have raised this with the manufacturer to address and that this is being addressed. Apologies if this impacted your stay.3. Regarding cooking facilities, yes the BBQ facility has not shed but there is kitchen inside the dome tent that you could use during rainy season.4. I will get maintenance team to look at the barn door sliding open or not having handles. And the builder regarding your feedback on visible screws and gyprock. Thank you for raising this. 5. Regarding staff that didnt introduce themselves, I will make sure to have a word with our staff. They are all trained to greet guests.6. Our staff also raised concerns that there were some actions that you did which went against our process and policies: a. You lit the firepit yourselves before 5pm without asking our staff. They explained that this is not allowed and firepit are lit by our staff at 5-5:30pm after animal feeding. b. They also told me that there were Jim Bean cans around the firepit and they reminded you that the firepit is a communal family space. I note that there is a rubbish bin behind the firepit under the shearing shed for rubbish. 7. Regarding firepit ending at 8:30, yes this is our policy for the following reasons which I trust that you understand. a. Most of our guests are families with kids or travelers who hit the road early so we put off firepit to ensure that there is minimal disruption on all guests to ensure a good night sleep. b. The firepit is very close to our Safari Tent which is made of canvas so any noise can be heard by guests staying in the safari tent c. Our staff check on firepit for safety reasons by 8:30pm and we cannot keep our staff up until late in evening because they have

17 Feb. 2023 by Ruth

Hi Mat, allow me to address all the concerns you have raised:1. Noise - I am sure you will agree that our location which is midway between Sydney and Melbourne on the Hume Highway (therefore no detours required) is a convenient advantage for all our guests. With this strategic advantage of our location comes with it an inevitable challenge of noise from the Hume Highway particularly since we are surrounded by open paddocks. Next time, when you book an accommodation, perhaps take that into consideration - the pros and cons of a place location plus consider what the property offers. To address this challenge of noise, we have planted more than 1000 trees along the Hume and our paddocks to buffer the noise 2 years ago. However, they are still small but in time, they will hopefully help.2. Rude Owner - I am not sure who you saw but I can guarantee you that the owners are generous and kind people who keep to themselves and well loved by the staff and polite to guests. If you were offended in anyway that was never the intent - perhaps there was a lot on his mind, perhaps there were personal problems to deal with like sick family for example. So next time, if a similar things happen to you in a separate incident (not in our farmstay obviously since you said you are not coming back but elsewhere in life), perhaps take the time to consider what may be going on behind the scenes and not to jump to conclusions so quickly. Negativity is not good for your health.Thanks, Ruth